Safety chamber for submerged vessels



June 17, 1930. A, G, JOHNSON El' AL 1,765,233

SAFETY CHAMBER FOR SUBMERGED VESSELS Filed May1'7, 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 y Z A 5e fg l' .L5 5f gwumatoq 2f Jahmm De Wing June 17, 1930. A. G. yJOHNSON Er AL 1,765,233

SAFETY CHAMBER FOR SUBMERGED VESSELS Filed May 17, 1928 s sheets-sheet 2 June 17, 1930. A. G. JoHNsoN Er AL' 1,765,233

SAFETY CHAMBER FOR SUBMERGED VESSELS Filed nia 1v. 192e s sheets-sheet s gwoemtod" cfqnson @mpg/ving Patented June 17, 1930 lrisas PATENT OFFICE ALBERT. Gr. JOHNSON, OEFELLOWS, ANDCI-IARLES W. DEW'ING, 0F TFT, CALIFORNIA 'A SFETYCHAMBER `Foie SUBMERGED vEssELs Appiiauon meri May 1?,

4This invention'relates to life saving devices for submarines or other vessels, and particularly to the provision in a submarineor other vessel of a buoyant chamber into which thev y1Q tion is to provide a lifesaving vdeviceV of this character *which is practical, simple, may be readily appliedto 'submarines and indeed t0 other1L ships, and which -isprovided with means whereby thek locationifof thesunkenl submarine' or other vessel maybe indicated.

lupion the surface of the"water,4v

jA lfurther"object is t'o'providey a life savingchamber'or compartment onboard a vessel havinga detachable float or buoy which 2o has "attached thereto a flexible air ytube so that whenfdetached the buoy may rise lto the surface and air vmay be drawn through said tube to the` compartment or safety chamber of the vessel;v

A. still further object in this connection is to provide 4a special'form of valve which will prevent the'inlet of water tothe tubeas the upper end lof theltube'. and the buoyinove to the surface yof the 4water but will permit,

by an initial injection offai'r through the tube,

the valve to pass into a receivingpocket where it will Vnot obstruct theinlet of air through saidtube.' *Y f' n Another Iob] ect is to provide means whereby the buoy may be detachablyengaged'with theI hull o'f the submarine land particularly to the upper wallof the safety chamber, which is flush with the deck so as to permit the men inside the safetyf'cham'ber to release the buoy,

40 andl in this connection to provide means whereby air may be pumped initially through the hose of the buoy to open the valve and then the air drawn downward from the surface and discharged from the pump into the safety chamber.

Still another object to provide means wherebyfthe ysafety chamber `is normally locked kin place with its upper wall flush with the *decky butmay be readily unlocked from within-the chamber sov that the safety cham- 1928. Serial No. 278,431.

ber may be drawn upward by hoisting chains on the salvage ship or may'move upward by its own buoyancy, and in this connection to provide means whereby the too swift rise of the safety chamber may be checked or retarded. v

A further object is to provide means whereby water may be allowed to enter the base of the safety chamber to thereby control its buoyancy and keep itibalance'd. l

A still further object is; to providemeans whereby air may be allowed to flow into the space between the wall of the safety chamber and the wall of the compartment ywithin which the safety chamber is normally located` so that the hydrostatic pressure allowed to enter around the chamber willA permit the safety chamber to movey upwardunder its buoyancy.

Other objects will appearin the course of the following description.

vOur invention'is illustrated in the accompanying drawings,'whereinv:- o

Figure l is an `elevation of a salvaging've'ssel anda submerged vessel having our improvements applied thereto andgshowing the buoyant chambers rising to the surface;

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical section partly in elevation of the compartment and the chamber therein, the buoy being locked to' the top of the chamber;

Figure 3 is ya cross sectional view on the line 3-3 of Figure 2; Y

Figure 4 is an elevation of one endof the float, the top being shown in section;

Figure 5 is a detail view of the air valve.

In'the drawings, A designates a submarine or other vessel, it being understood that while we have designed this particularly forsub-` marines that' we do not wish to be limited thereto'. The submarine is provided at one or more points in its length, preferably at two points, with a compartment, designated 10,

whichl extends upward approximately tol ino depending below this margin of the deck is the annular flange 13 constituting a casing within which is disposed packing 14.r

Disposed Within the compartment 10 is the safety chamber 15. This safety chamber is closed at its upper end by means of a horizontal wall l'which is adapted to close the opening in .the ,deck extend over 'the margin of the deck, that is, to the flange 13, as at 17. This upper wall 16 is also formed with a depending, angular Bange 18 apertured for the passage of locking bolts 19. There are as many of these bolts as desired, all the bolts extending toward the center of the compartment and being there connected to a gear wheel 20 mounted upon this upper wall, this getrywheel being engagedpby a. pinion 21, in turnoperated by the hand wheel 22. Any other suitable gearing for rotating the gear n wheel 2Q may be used. y y

The locking bolts are ivotally connected at their inner ends to t is gearing so that when the gear 20 is turned in one direction the bolts will be projected and when turned an, in the otherv direction the/bolts will be retracted. vWhen projected,.the bolts lock the upperendof the chamber 15 to the compartment and to the deck by penetrating the 14. When` withdrawn, the chamber au. move upward through theopening inthe .dck'f' w For the purpose o lifting this chamber brumes` Off` cables from a slveceship, as shown in Figure 2, hoisting irons 23 are at; attached tothe upgnwall 16, this' upper wall being relatively t chamber 15 heilig rigidly connected to this upr wall and being provided'with suitable Egaoingrmeans 24 of any .desired character. 4e? Disposed upqn'the wall 16 is a buoy 25 having attsoppiteends the threaded sockets 26. Locking bolts27 pass upward through thewall 16 through acking and have swiveled engagementwit this wall, the. upper 45,; ends off these bolts being screw-threaded to vengage the sockets 26,-and the lower Vends of thebolts having handles 28 whereby the bolts may be turned to releasey their engagement with the buoy .and permit the buoy to float 5a.; upward. Beneath the buoy there is supported an air hose basket 29 within which isco'iled orlaid the air hose 30. This is, of course, tubularand may be of any suitable character. .The upper end of this air hose is connected 56u bya coupling 31 toI a valve casing or head 32 `whose structure will be now described.

, Thecoupling member 31 has screuv.-threadfY edenga ement withfthe .head 32 and the interior othis headis recessed for a removable seat. 33. The hiead is longitudinally bored, aant 34, this bore extendinglateralh7 into a valve receiving chamber 35. Normally dis` posed upon this seat 33 is 'a globular valve 36 which is capable of beingforced up the i bore 34 and laterally from the curved exick and strong and' the tremity thereof into the pocket 37 formed in the chamber 35. This pocket is formed with a drainage openin 38 to carry olf water which may enter throng the air holes 39 in the top of the casing. 'lhe base of the valve body is formed with an outwardl projecting flange 40 which prevents the ose from pulling througlntho. a# tank buqyt "Tlle'hose 30 is i engaged with the coupling 31 by any usual or suitable means.

The inner end ofihehnea is yconnectesto, a pipe fitting 41 extending through the cover 16 and into-the clianiber 15 and is provided with an air line control valve 42 to which a exble connection 43 may be attached this extendindown to an air Ypuin 44 oi any suitable aracter and actuated.v y an suitable for instance by an e ectric motor connected to a storagehatteg or it may be hand operated. This air pump ould have an inlet andan outletand, is for theY purpose initiallylof forcing air upfthe pipe 30 and out through the head 32' tolift the valve 36 when the buoy has risen to the .top of the water and is floating upon thesiirface so that the, valve will he forced ua nd into the pocket 37. Of course, while e buoy is rising, the

valve 36 pre'xnts tl'i'el entrancei of water. iiitpv the interior the pipe. g* y When the'vatye Bgvhas forced frpm.. its seat into 37%the air ump 44' is. than @die withdraw sur fron; e 've surface of tha'wateir down-through the pipoj 30A and pi andfiorce it into the interior of the saf i ,chamber v safety chainber 15 is provided` withailoon 45, andbelpw this fluorY there is provideda storage coni partinei'i'tl ithin which water, imple-A ments ando 'er material stored,

entering thiscompartment is ayalved pip 47Y wherebgppermit thainlefofwaterto t interior o com 1 `tio-thereby re f late the bpyatiicyoiaghe 'y etyichamber. fcovery 16 islalso rovided an inlet pipetif which passes own y li tliecovcrnnazl. througttheside wall, f y opensintio space. yegenthie compartment wall '10 an t .e shell ofthe chamber 15 and'is prov/fidatil with a volta@ whorebywater may be allowed to enter y l spa ,between the chamber 1.5 w and the compartment wall 10 so as to mit the h drostatic pressure to be exerted; upon the :dumber 15 to permit Vit to Hoator rise from the compartment 10, this being conollled, ofcourse, from theinside of cham` up l, 4 y Y yPreferalil,and for thep h 'I ofI vente ing too cwi a rise of the y chapiiiher.to,L the surface of the-water, weprovide a brake? Y As illustrated, a reel 50 is provided upontha; W hull of the submarine at `any convenient posait and Aa cable 51 wound this reel and extends upward through floor of the compartment 10 and through the;A floor of the `safety chamber. We have illussn o as a detector for submarines in distress. The

memesy trated a friction brake 52 carried upon the reel and bearing againstthe cable to restrain its upward movement.

It is to be understood that a spring brake, a hydrualic brake or brake of any other character may be used in place of the brake shown, the idea being that the brake will restrain the too rapid upward movement of the safety chamber when released from within the compartment 10. The safety chamber is provided with a hinged or sliding door 53 and with a` foul air discharge pump 54 of any suitable character acting, when started, to take the foul air from the interior of the chamber and force it out through the side of the chamber so as to permit the injection of fresh air throughthe pipe 30. This pump may be actuated by the same means as is used for actuating the pump 44. A bilge pump may also be disposed within the compartment 46 for the purpose of discharging any water that may seep into the compartment or into the safety chamber.

This device provides means by which men entrapped in a sunken submarine or other vessel can liberate themselves and can be assured of a plentiful supply of fresh air dur- 4ing the period of submersion. If the necessity arises, the imprisoned men can assemble in these chambers, close the water-tight doors and, by liberating the tank or buoy 25, the air hose is carried to the surface and then air may be withdrawn through this hose into the chamber 15, while the foul air is discharged by the foul air pump 54.

If, after a period of waiting, the entrapped men feel that assistance is `not available, they can release the locking bolts 19 and thus release the entire chamber from its position in thel submerged vessel. After the flooding valve 49 has been opened, water will be admitted around the chamber and create the necessary pressure tofloat it and the chamber will immediately rise to the surface. This rise may be regulated by the valve 47 admitting water to the chamber as ballast or it may be regulated by the brake action on the cable 51. l

The buoy serves two purposes, first to carry to the surface the air lines, and second to act valve prevents water from entering the air hose during submersion but readily admits air when the ball is dislodged from its seat by air pressure from within the chamber. l The air hose is to be coiled beneath the buoy in such a manner that it will not be obstructed in its ascent, the container or basket 29 being provided Vwith drainage holes 29a whereby to drain out any water when the basket has risen with the submarine. The top wall or roof of the chamber 15 will, of course, be provided with a manhole 56 detachable from within the chamber whereby eXit may be made from the chamber after the chamber reaches the surface. In the event it is found the safety. chamber rwill not have sufficient buoyancy to rise to the surface, the'auxiliary hose may be inflated by compressed air as, for instance, by compressed air' tanks within the chamber itself. However, a chamber tenfeet across and of the same height would have al lifting yforce of f some twenty tons so it -is not believed it wouldvbe ever necessary to use any auxiliary means for lincreasing the buoyancy of the chamber.

The safety chamber should be constructed from material h-eavy enough to withstand the water pressure at sufoi'ent depth and it should be sufliciently braced on the inside to prevent destruction by pressure. Of course, the chamber should bevprovided with emergency rat-ions, flashlights, compressed air tanks or other auxiliary devices which may be necessary. I f It isdesirable to provide means whereby a diver may release the lockingbolts 19, yand to thisvend the shaftupon which the. operating wheel 22 is mountedy is extended throughthc wall 16 and provided with a hand wheel 22 so as to permitthe diver to release the bolts in case for any reason the chamber should not rise from its place in the hull of the submarine. In order that ythe diver may observe whether any men are withinV the chamber before releasing the bolts, one or more glass plates 16a are disposedwithin the wallL or top 16 so that the diver may look into the interior of the chamber. l

l/Vhile we have illustrated this device as being applied to a submarine, and while this safety device is particularly. designed for submarines, yet itis obvious that it might be applied to other vessels. It is also obvious that many minor changes might be made inthe details ofcconstruction and yarrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

We claim 1. The combination with an air hose con-V nected at one end to a subm-ergible vessel and connected atits-other end to a buoy,lthat end.' of the air hose carried by the buoy being pro, vided with a valve casing inthe form of al head and.A formed to provide a. centrally disposed bore, a chamber'into which the bore opens, the chamber being provided with a pocket depressed below the mouth ofthe bore and having air openings in its outerwalls,v and a valve normally restingl upon said seat and held thereto by pressure. of--water but adapted to bevblown from the seatand into said pocket by a blast of air directed upward through ythe air hose and through said bore.

2. In a vessel, a compartment opening through the'deck -of the vessel and having upwardly flaring side walls, a safety chamber disposed within the compartment and less in diameter and length than the compartment and having a roof having water tight engagement 4with the deck `and closing the opening therethrough, 'thewall of the compartment adjacent the deck being formed to provide an annular recess filled with packing material, bolts projectible fromthe u Vper end ofthe safet chamber into said pac there lock the safety chamber to the Ideck, means disposed within the safety chamber'for operating said` bolts, fa buoy detachably mounted upon theE of' the safety chamber exterior thereto and aving an air hose carried thereby yat 4one endand extendmginto the safety chamber, means operable from within the safety chamber whereby Vthe buoy may-be released, an air-pump withinthe safety chamber connected te the air-hose, a pipe leading from the exterior to the tcp wall of the safety 'chamber downwardthrough the safety'chamber and intothe space between pipel ty chamber,

the safety chamber and the wall ofthe compertinent and a valve in saidvpipe whereby water may be admitted to said space.

3.y In a vessel, a compartment opening through the deckof the vessel and having upwardly flaring side walls, a safety chamber disposed within the compartment and less in diameter and le h than the compartment and having avoof avin water-ti ht engagement with the deck an closing t e opening therethrough, the wall of the compartment adjacent the deck. being formed to provide an annularrecess illedwith packing' material, bolts projctibe from the upper end of the safet chamber into said aycking material to there y lock the safety elihmber to the. deck, means disposed within the safety* chamber for opwating' said Ibolts," a. buoy detachably mounted upon the rof the safety chamber exterion'rthereto andf aving an cirrhose car- `rind thereby at one 'end' 'and extending into the safetychamber, means operable from within the safet chamber Vwhereby-'the buoy may :be rel an air' pump within the safety chamber connected to the air'hose, a leading from the exterior to the top wall of the safe rchamber downward through thefsafety c amber and .into the s' ace betweenthe safety chamber and the w of the compartment, a valve in said pipe whereby means inc uding a reel mounted upon the vessel and aline or cable carried bw the reel and extending intnfthe' com artment and engaging with the body at the ofwer end of the safe A rmitn the safe chamber to movempwa when re easedun erthe action yofbueyancy but preventing the safety chamber'fmm becoming: derelict'. u v c c In testimony whereof. we hereunto ax: our

. v ALBERT G. JOHNSON.

signatures'.

Y cHAfRLEs W, DEWING.

ing material to' and .: 1mi. un s 5 

